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Friday, January 13, 2012

(This is another in my series of reflections, As If For the First Time, describing the most commonplace of experiences through a fresh lens, one of innocence and wonder.)

A shower feels good any time of year. But in the
winter—especially when it's a snow-sprinkling ten degrees outside as it is right now—sometimes a good hot shower's the only way you can reach that
chill that's penetrated to your core.

This morning I'm taking one of those showers.

By the time
I'm "cooked"...the
water's much hotter than it was at first, when I couldn't stand it.

I
let the water run until the glass steams up. How relative the heat is.
When I first step in, I have to quickly turn the handle down to avoid
burning myself. But in no time it feels tepid; I turn it up. By the time
I'm "cooked," I've done so several times, to the point where the
water's now much hotter than it was at first when I couldn't stand it.
Now my skin's turning red—brightest on top of my shoulders, with
definite streaks where the nearly scalding rivulets run down my chest.

I
play with the tickling jets of water, testing the effect of each on a
pruning fingertip. Of the hundred or so strands the shower head
dispenses, no two are alike. Some are focused and fierce, biting into my
skin; others I can barely feel. Some subdivide their meager share into
still finer spray; a few barely drip, choked off by years of lime
deposits.

I turn around to face the beneficent
bombardment. As it drives heat into my chest, I feel my back cooling. I
experiment, and finally perfect a sort of "rotisserie" movement,
gradually turning my body while rocking slowly back and forth. That's
more like it.

The meditation's put me in touch with something very basic, very pure. A celebration. I am deeply warmed in body and soul.

After a while, I realize I've indeed lost
track of time—in fact, of every thought. The meditation's put me in
touch with something very basic, very pure. A celebration. I am deeply
warmed in body and soul.

I turn off the water and
reach for my towel. The shower head gurgles as it drains. Each drop
clips the gray rubber edge of the shower squeegee hanging from the
shower caddy and deflects out at my chest. They're cool, but it feels
good.

Hi Davina - It's so nice to see you here! Thanks for your comment.Yes, I've had many cold showers but I must admit they've only been in places where there was no other option. I've also enjoyed some jumps into holes in frozen lakes after saunas -- talk about bracing!Hope you're warm and comfy today - -16 at our house this morning -- br-r-r!

Ah, the "rotisserie" movement--very important for an enjoyable shower. My favorite showers take place in summer when we hook up the outdoor shower. My indoor shower (which we recently set up) is not so enjoyable. It's one of those attachments for old-fashioned claw foot tubs where you have to have curtains all around--not much room in there and the set up is awkward.

Jeffrey!! I for one LOVE my hot baths and showers:)!! I give thanks each time I am able to have such a precious gift:)!! I honestly don't think I could live without them, especially with our Canadian winters! Running water is amazing and having hot water so readily available is priceless!Thank you for such a great reminder:)!!

We're quite similar when it comes to showering. I also let the heat go up the wall before I finally take a bath. It brings a soothing feeling. My husband just recently fixed our water and plumbing system with an excellent pipe bursting equipment and now it works perfectly. I can shower all I want.

Hi Maia - It's so great to hear from you here! I'm glad to know there's a kindred "lobster" out there -- though now that it's nearly summer, I can't imagine the same routine I wrote about in this post written in the depths of a Minnesota winter! Some hot, steamy days in July, I do the opposite, cranking the shower all the way to cold. Go figure!

I go into deep meditation in the shower too Jeffrey. My third eye goes nuts and I begin to get downloads of energy or visions related to questions I may have been asking. It seems to lower the shielding of the ego. It's as if it connects one to one's higher self beyond time and space.

I can understand that, Bern -- especially for you, a long-distance hiker, who must appreciate a good hot shower more than most of us! I'm glad I'm not the only one who experiences a shower -- and so many other things -- as a meditation.